Method and apparatus for discovering, negotiating, and provisioning end-to-end SLAs between multiple service provider domains
View Patent ↗Domains (multiple collaborating service providers) create service offerings between pairs of edge nodes that interconnect with other domains in the network. The service offerings may specify the available bandwidth, quality of service, reliability, available security, price, subscriber and service contextual specific and other SLA information. When a new service is to be created, the service definition is used along with information about the available service offerings to determine a set of networks to implement the service. Information associated with the service offerings may be flooded to all other networks. Alternatively, the service offering information may be provided to a trusted third party (SLA broker) which may provide SLA services on the network to select sets of domains to implement inter-domain services, and may also proxy to set up the service for the SLA requesting party. A hybrid approach may also be used wherein some SLA information is flooded and other information is retained in secret and provided only to the SLA broker.
1. A method of selecting a subset of a plurality of domains of a network for an inter-domain service to be implemented across the network, the method comprising the steps of:
determining, by each of the plurality of domains, available service offerings that are guaranteed to be able to be provided within the domain between pairs of peering border nodes on the domain, the peering border nodes providing connectivity between the domain and other peering domains;
forming for each of the plurality of domains, SLA information associated with the available service offerings that are guaranteed to be able to be provided by that domain between the pairs of peering border nodes; and
flooding the SLA information, by each of the plurality of domains to each of the other of the plurality of domains;
after flooding the SLA information:
establishing a set of parameters associated with the inter-domain service to be implemented across the network, the inter-domain service to be implemented on a path across the network that extends across at least two of the plurality of domains; and
using the set of parameters associated with the inter-domain service to be implemented across the network and the SLA information associated with the available service offerings for the domains, to select a subset of domains guaranteed to be able to implement the inter-domain service which will meet the established set of parameters, the selected subset of domains forming the path across the network between end-points of the inter-domain service.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SLA information comprises performance related metrics and business metrics.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the performance related metrics relate to guarantees the network offers.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the performance related metrics include quality of service, availability, and security properties of a service that is available and guaranteed to be provided by the network between the pairs of peering border nodes.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the business metrics define the service offering in terms of pricing, and also include context and behavioral properties of customers being served in the domains associated with the SLA information.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the business metrics further include demography, context, and subscriber behavioral characteristics.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the SLA information includes multiple service offerings to be defined between a given pair of nodes, each of the multiple service offerings having unique performance related metrics and customer specific business metrics.